1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a two-part shipping and packing label system and method of making and applying the system which permits rapid placement of a shipping label over a packing list also provided as a label wherein both are applied to a substrate such as a container or the like. More particularly, it is concerned with a shipping and packing label system which may be sequentially applied to the container, wherein the shipping label is placed in registry over and around the packing list to conceal the latter until the shipping label is removed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The emergence of mail order sales through catalogs and online retail sites has greatly expanded the shipment of products through the mail and commercial delivery services. The shipper must have a shipping label which provides an address to which the package is directed. In addition, a packing list must be provided for inventory control and tracking by the shipper and to provide the recipient a way to check whether the contents of the package match the order as placed. An inherent requirement is that the packing list be concealed from external view or be tamper evident to quickly show if someone has attempted to discover the contents of the shipping carton during delivery. One way of accomplishing this is to insert a packing list into the carton along with the products to be shipped, and then to apply a separate shipping label on the exterior of the carton. However, this is time consuming, requires substantial manual work by the shipper, and requires substantial efforts to coordinate the activities of the packing list placement with the application of the shipping label when the two steps are performed at remote locations. More significantly, this activity results in slowed processing of the order at the time of shipping, and prevents substantial economies to be achieved by increasing the speed of the conveyor during the shipping process.
An alternative method of applying shipping labels and packing lists involves the use of clear plastic pouches which are adhered to the outside of the carton with the statement xe2x80x9cPACKING LIST ENCLOSEDxe2x80x9d printed thereon. The use of such plastic pouches enables the shipper to place the packing list and the shipping label on the exterior of the carton at the same time, but such pouches are expensive and still require the insertion of the packing list into the pouch, sealing of the pouch, placement of the pouch, and placement of the shipping label, which steps may involve further expense in the form of additional machines and or increased human labor, may reduce the speed of the shipping conveyor, and still has the shipping label printed and applied separately from the packing list which may result in separation of the two.
Recently, I have developed an improved shipping and packing label as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,186,554 and 6,213,518, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. This shipping and packing label represents a substantial improvement over the prior art and permits automated printing and application of the shipping label. However, these shipping and packing labels require duplex printers to apply printing to both sides of the form simultaneously. These printers are not readily available and thus currently inhibit the use of such forms by many shippers. Moreover, the requirement for a duplex printer prevents the use of current printers and label applicators from their use. The forms of the U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,186,554 and 6,213,518 patents are also designed for manual application to the container and do not lend themselves to high speed continuous application in an automated system which provides automated printing and application of the form in concert with automated matching of the shipping label to the container.
There has thus developed a need for a shipping label and packing list system which is economical, may be rapidly applied, and enables automated printing and application.
These and other objects have been achieved by the sequentially placed shipping label and packing list system of the present invention. That is to say, the present invention permits rapid printing and placement of packing lists and shipping labels using existing equipment which enables rapid movement of cartons along a shipping line, ensures confidentiality of the enclosed packing list, and permits automated printing and application to facilitate the matching of the shipping label and the packing list so that the contents of the package go to the intended recipient.
The system of the present invention includes two sequentially applied labels, one being a packing list which may be printed on one side with information corresponding to the contents of the carton and may be printed on its other side with masking indicia, and the second being a shipping label which is provided with adhesive in a pattern which, when applied to a substrate such as a face of a container, preferably covers and substantially surrounds the packing list. The packing list is preferably provided of a smaller dimension to permit good adhesion of the shipping label to the container and to provide a center portion having the printed information to fit within the perforations of the shipping label defining the removable center section, and has one or more preferably two lines of adhesive to ensure that the packing list remains in its desired location when applied to the carton. The packing list is preferably provided with two lines of weakness such as perforations which facilitate separation of the center portion carrying indicia identifying the contents from the adhesive strips. The shipping label is also provided with lines of weakness, such as perforations, which are parallel to the lines of weakness on the shipping label and facilitate removal of a center portion of the shipping label when a transverse tear strip is removed. The shipping label is applied to the container such as a carton or box so that its adhesive portions are exterior to at least part of the packing list, thereby surrounding and covering the packing list, and also ensuring good contact between the shipping label and the carton.
The sequentially applied shipping label and packing list system of the present invention thus represents a substantial advance over existing one-piece labels. The system of the present invention avoids the need for unique and dedicated duplex printers by using existing commercial application systems, and further avoids the necessity of folding one piece label and packing lists which are printed only on one side. The system hereof also facilitates higher speeds in automated processing of shipping orders. Each shipping label and its corresponding packing list may be uniquely printed with information corresponding to one order. The carton moves down the conveyor line in a sealed condition and carries a bar code, radio frequency identification tag, or other scannable identifying member. This scannable identifying member is then read by a bar code reader or the like to identify the particular carton and its contents and correlate that carton to correspond to information held in a computer memory regarding the contents and the desired recipient identification including the shipping address. The packing list is then applied to the carton as a label while the carton is moving using conventional printers and label applicators. A scanner then verifies the packing list by a bar code imprinted thereon before a second label applicator prints and applies the shipping label over the packing list label, all while the carton continues movement along the conveyor. As a result, an increased number of cartons, such as about 25 to 35 cartons per minute, may be processed through the shipping system and readied for shipment. Beneficially, the packing list and then the shipping label may be applied along one side of a container in a predetermined position, such as a multiple or fraction of inches from a leading edge and/or a bottom edge of a container, so that containers of various sizes exceeding a minimum in two dimensions may receive the labels without alteration or adjustment of the application system. For example, when the shipping labels and packing lists are applied to the sides of the containers as they moves along the conveyor, the containers need not be centered and may be of a wide variety of dimensions while still acceptably receiving the packing list and shipping label in sequence and in registry, ready for shipping.
These and other advantages will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art with reference to the drawings and description which follow.